“Herod sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; because he had married her. For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. . . . . . . . . . . . And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Thursday 29th Aug. 2024 – MARK 6:17-29.
So, if one is known and actually is a truthful person who doesn’t shy away from saying the truth the way it is, especially speaking the truth to power, such a fellow will most definitely be a marked person.
In climes like ours, the society and the masses will constantly sing their praise and eulogise their bravery and honesty.
Nevertheless, s/he who’s that bold in honesty and brave enough to risk their life for the truth will be disliked by those who would rather hide behind a finger than face the truth.
The people who are uncomfortable with such truths can go to any extent to extinguish the truth or silence it permanently.
Such people are capable of engineering the crash of a helicopter carrying that honest person, even if it may claim other casualties.
When Hon. Kazaure blew the whistle on the ex-CBN ‘emperor’, Meffie, he said, some wealthy Nigerians offered him bullet proof cars to be using during the time of the investigations of the claims he made.
That’s your example of how a truthful person is a marked person.
Only recently, Sen. Ndume was made to render a half-hearted apology when he was hounded away from reckoning because he chose the path of truth.
This was barely after Sen. Ningi was re-admitted into the Senate after serving a suspension due to spilling the truth.
It is therefore, not just now that such hounding has begun. Right from the time of John-de-Baptist, truthful people have been hounded and killed like dogs.
Nonetheless, those brave enough to still stick their heads out and dare to be truthful must be commended.
My dear friend, if we say the truth we will die. If we do not say the truth, we will yet die.
Therefore, like John-de-Baptist, why then can’t we just satisfy our conscience by been truthful, so, if or when death comes, we will know we are dying honourably and our soul will be welcome in heaven?
People can choose between the sweet lie and the bitter truth, nevertheless, sometimes, people don’t want the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed. However, the truth results in an eventual common good.
Have a fantastic day folks.
#SAINT_JOHN_THE_BAPTIST! #Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
- Akase F. Agabo
29th Aug. 2024.
“Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! . . . . . . . . . . . . So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Wednesday 28th Aug. 2024 – MATTHEW 23:27-33.
So, we must all be conversant with this saying and what it implies, “Looks are deceptive.”
That is why one mustn’t be so quick to use prejudice to assess the character and genuineness of another. Neither should one judge another by mere appearance.
Mark Zuckerberg as well Bill Gates very often adorn simple and average looking clothing while going about their every day lives.
More often than not, when one encounters Aliko Dangote both in person and on television, one hardly see him adorning any embroidered clothing items. He’s very often dressed in simple unembroidered kaftan. Very often, even without cap.
Now, for one who makes speedy conclusions or presumptions based on appearance rather than character, having not known any of these people before, may quickly make presumptions on them as just some average every day blokes.
Well, I will personally prefer such a disposition☝️should I have to interact with any of them in every day life.
However, the departing point is when one begins to put up the superiority complex ego, if it seems to us that we appear more well adorned that other people. There, we lose the mark.
When our aim of dressing good is not to feel good with ourselves but rather to sneer and snicker at others with an ego of superiority complex, then, we are not different from the Scribes and Pharisees in today’s teaching.
My dear friend, life will be seemingly more balanced if we avail ourselves of the disposition that everyone we meet is both our teacher and our student.
Have a fantastic day folks.
#SAINT_AUGUSTINE! #Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo
28th Aug. 2024.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”
Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Tuesday 27th Aug. 2024 – MATTHEW 23:23-26.
So, today is about what we call in local parlance, ‘eye service’. One of my primary school teachers calls it, ‘Asobi-Aso’. One wonder what language that is.
Take the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele (Meffie, for short), for example.
Dude was supposed to be a diligent monitor supervising heads of Commercial Banks against involving themselves in what he’s presently defending himself in the courts of law and has since been convicted of several profligacy.
While he heard sway as CBN Governor, he would have indicted several bank heads found wanting. Whereas, he was the offender in chief, dwarfing the offenses of all the erring bank heads put together.
However, Meffie isn’t just the one caught in such kind of a predicament.
We, too, in our small ways in every day life postulating ‘holier than thou’ attitude could be equally culpable.
In most markets in our country, almost every morning before commencement of trading, there’s usually a session of Christian praise worship and prayers. Not leaving out the Muslims who never miss any of their five times day prayers.
However, after such fervent display of piety, we go back to our trade and continue as life usual.
The people who measure grains as well as garri to sell, usually have two measures. That is what we typically refer to as ‘mudu’.
The first is the usual one known. This is supposed to be used for standard measurement.
This is what they take to the market when they want to buy and ensure that farmers or middlemen use in measuring for them.
The order is just like it, however, it is smaller. Five ‘mudu’ of the standard size will give six ‘mudu’ of this smaller one.
Now, that is the one they use to measure and sell to people after praying and singing praises to God.
Then, some will sprinkle water on garri and make it swell. One who doesn’t know and buys such garri, once it is kept in an enclosed place, it will not last beyond 24 hours and will go bad.
Those that sell ‘amala’ flour. Just so as to maximise more profit, they mix the usual ‘amala’ flour with cassava flour and present it to buyers as ‘amala’ flour.
Then, there are these shop-less middlemen in the market. Hmm! Dem, dia matter full bucket. It will be talk for another day.
The market example suffice because, often times, people are chosen randomly from among us to give exhortation. We are always quick to point fingers at the ills of authority people in government while we preach. Forgetting too quickly or choosing to ignore our own little failings that add up to the failure of the society at large.
While not saying that one who has erred shouldn’t be called out, we, too, doing the calling out must first seek to be in good standing. Then do it purposefully for love instead of just pointing finger.
When Jesus Christ said, He Who is without sin should cast the first stone.” Each of the malicious accusers left.
Dear friend, love hurts, but love heals when love reigns.
#SAINT_MONICA! #Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo
27th Aug. 2024.
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the affliction which you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgement of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.. . . . . . . . . .”
Excerpts, First Reading, Monday 26th August 2024 – 2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-5.11-12.
So, people actually got to suffer for their faith as Christians?
This same Paul also championed the cause of persecuting Christians in his former life until Jesus Christ arrested him and made him his Apostle.
Although, while Christians still face persecutions in some parts of the present world, a greater majority of us got this Christianity on a platter. Therefore, some of us tend to disregard the privilege.
If the people who witnessed the life of Jesus Christ and those who got converted to Christianity through the Apostles soon after the ascension of Christ could face such persecution, why then should preacher men keep going on and on about prosperity Gospel?
Those of us so pampered are usually quick to make reference to portions of the Holy Bible like, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” – PROVERBS 10:22.
When Jesus Christ healed the woman with the issue of blood, she did not also miraculously got plenty money transferred into her bank account.
However, after getting healed from her ailment, she would now be free and strong enough to concentrate her energies on her economic life.
So, the preacher men that see visions for those seeking visa and wanting to travel abroad should be scrutinised.
That abroad that such people want to escape to came about as a result of the toiling, sweat even the ultimate sacrifice of others.
It is quite appalling that in the Church, even Catholic Church, now, one will hear a Priest saying, I am seeing vision for somebody seeking visa to travel abroad. Somebody buying a new car. Someone getting a contract of billions of Naira.
If the same preacher man should go to a rural area Church where people there are predominantly farmers and peasants, his supposed visions may likely be, someone having a bumper harvest and things like that.
Dear friend, these are all conjectures.
The Christianity that the people in today’s teaching toiled for and some ended up paying the ultimate price for, is what these preacher men are now turning it into some caricature.
Fortunately, God is a patient Father.
My dear friend, this must be made very clear, one is not any less a Christian and a candidate of heaven by their economic prowess.
Neither is one experiencing persecutions right now not necessarily a better Christian and a heaven candidate.
What will really be a terrible end is after all one’s prosperity or toiling and suffering still doesn’t end up making heaven.
Dear friend, the key is this simple as Christ enjoins us, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’. . . . . .And you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” – MATTHEW 22:37-38.
Have a fantastic day and a fulfilled week ahead.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo
26th Aug. 2024
“Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off. ’ . . . . . . . . . . . . Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, . . . . . . . . . . . .”
Excerpt, First Reading, Friday 23rd August 2024 – EZEKIEL 37:1-14.
So, my dear friend, what is that issue that has weighed us down very mush so that we tend to have given up on life and resigned ourselves to fate? God promises today that He will open up such graves and bring us out.
Those of us that have hit the rock bottom and are presently languishing in the abyss, we have our assurance today. God assures us of bringing us home.
To those of us that have exhausted all available options and are contemplating the unimaginable, we have our assurance from today’s teaching. God says He shall put His spirit within us and we shall live.
The Almighty God says what ever may be the graves that are holding us down, He is going to tear them apart and destroy all such graves and bring us to new life.
However, all what He requires of us is just for each one of us to love our neighbour just the way we love ourselves.
Folks, have a fantastic day and a pleasant weekend.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo
23rd Aug. 2024
“These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. ’“But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Wednesday 21st August 2024 – MATTHEW 20:1-16.
So, today is yet another clear testament of keeping hope alive.
The guys in today’ teaching are akin to the ‘man waka’ (daily labourers) of present day world.
The 6th hour mentioned in the Gospels would therefore be roughly our 12 o’clock. Their 9th hour would thus be our 3 pm. Their eleventh hour would therefore be our 5pm. – MATTHEW 20:5, 27:45 & LUKE 23:44.
These guys usually come out to their pick up usually about 6:00am, some even earlier.
For those who waited until 12:00 noon, it is understood that they still have hope.
The guys that stayed till 3:00pm, they must be desperately hopeful.
However, I give it up for those that remained there until 5:00pm. Such a genius act. Dudes were simply legends. Their kind of hope is courageously infectious.
These are people that supposedly live from hand to mouth.
Therefore, while they were just sitting there and idling away, some of them, mostly those among them that left family at home would be agonising in their mind how they were going to feed their family that night.
Their hope came through for them. God of the eleventh hour heard and acted on their hearts’ yearnings.
While we wait, when we keep our hope alive in God, even the eleventh hour is still not late for Him to act in our favour.
Dear friend, if this doesn’t teach us a valid lesson, nothing would.
Have a fantastic day folks.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo
21st Aug. 2024.
Ezekiel 28: 1-10)
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, . . . . . . . . . . . . .by your wisdom and your understanding you have gotten wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth —. . . . . . . . . . . . You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, says the Lord God.”
Excerpts, First Reading, Tuesday 29th August 2024 – EZEKIEL 28:1-10.
So, the Almighty God abhors pride in its entirety.
A line in one of the songs Hit ‘Em Up, by the late Hip-hop music icon 2Pac Shakur, goes, ‘I am a self made millionaire.”
Dear friend, that ☝️is not true. Such a claim is just a fallacy.
Since no man is an island, then, there cannot be anyone who is self made anything.
Once we start having those haughty airs about being self made, there and then, we start getting it all wrong.
It is such airs that get us to resign God to the background and carry on with such fallacious impression that our wisdom, intelligence, strength and hard work got us the level of success we have achieved.
The King of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has achieved so much success in developing that country that he is now capable of creating artificial rain as well as snow in that desert region.
Yet, King Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan remains a devoted Muslim who still observes his Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha daily prayers.
The day he starts thinking of himself a self made, God, though, tolerant and slow to act, would however not hesitate to remind him.
Some billionaires from around the world are beginning to carry on such airs of self made and the feeling of being gods.
These people are therefore clandestinely creating a new world order by devoting a huge chunk of their wealth to sponsor Stem Cell Research.
Their action, in as much as it seems so distant and very far away from us, is yet near and catching up on us very furiously.
My dear friend, such conspiracy is the reason why some of our sisters and daughters are been cowed to sell their eggs – ovaries.
The eggs extracted from these young girls is one of the major raw material required for this research.
This is spreading really fast and wide in third world countries where the margin of exchange rate of the local currencies are marginally kept wide against leading world currencies.
Most of these targeted countries have internal crisis that has grossly affected the cost of living.
Nevertheless, my dear friend, despite the conspiracies of the new world order, you and I must be weary of not allowing our small success to get into our head.
One can go on in aeons writing about this, nonetheless, we must watch our pride.
Have a fantastic day folks.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
-Akase F. Agabo.
20th Aug. 2024.
“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.”
Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Monday 19th August 2024 – MATTHEW 19:16-22.
So, in the Parable of the Rich and Lazarus, the said rich man did not go to hell because he was always eating and living lavishly and partying. – LUKE 16:19-21.
If it were so, one may begin to perceive God Whom by Himself supposedly blessed one with such ‘supposed’ riches to distaste the good life.
Nevertheless, it is far from it. All other things remaining the same, if based on that story alone, his sin could possibly be linked to negligence.
The rich man was probably ignorant that he was only a custodian of all such wealth and riches he possessed in trust for God.
He is therefore required to become like the, “God Who is our provider” (Philippians 4:19) to the poor and needy. Unfortunately, he shirked that responsibility, failing woefully.
In law, ignorantia juris non excusat (Latin for “ignorance of the law excuses not”).
Put in another way, ignorantia legis neminem excusat (“ignorance of law excuses no one”).
The above all summarize as a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content.
Therefore, when we get so attached to our supposed riches thereby forgetting the giver of such riches, we begin to think and feel that our ‘god’ is our riches. Idolizing riches and material possessions.
Just like today’s Responsorial Psalm says, “You forgot God who gave you birth. . . . . . . . . . . .“They have stirred me to jealousy with what is no god; they have provoked me with their idols.” – DEUTERONOMY – 32: 18-19.20.21.
In today’s teaching, Christ is saying, in as much as having riches may be good, we must not allow such possessions stand in our way of making eternity.
Dear friend, you are no longer ignorant.
Have a fantastic day and a fulfilled week ahead, folks.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo. 19th Aug. 2024
“The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.” But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it.”
Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Friday 16th August 2024 – MATTHEW 19:3-12.
So, when an issue becomes very necessary that parties involved will have to go into a covenant about it, that means the issue is very important to them.
Even two adolescents who out of infatuation go into a love covenant, it is yet binding on them
Believe it or not, someone who goes into a covenant with a fiendish deity, such a fellow is always weary of acting contrary to the tenets of their covenant just so as not to incur the wrath of that deity.
A man and a woman who go into a marriage covenant do that with their eyes wide open. They are aware that from that day henceforth, until death do them part, either of them shall not engage in copulation with anyone or anything else again, be it male or female, animal, object or otherwise.
Little wonder that things never get to remain the same again in the family whenever any of the couple starts getting involved in infidelity.
Same it is also with the last set of people Christ made reference to in today’ teaching. Those who chose to be eunuch for the sake of the work or God.
Part of this set of people would rightly be described to be the Priests of the Catholic Church.
One who after the covenant of Holy Order still, starts getting involved in the practices of those who have received the Sacrament of Matrimony is straying away.
The sooner he realises his foolishness the better.
If things in the family never get to remain the same again once any of the couple starts becoming promiscuous, things will also certainly not remain the same with such a Priest.
It is just what it is. Just like a cargo ship loaded with goods, just one small snag and the whole ship would capsize.
Folks, have a fantastic day and a pleasant weekend.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
– Akase F. Agabo. 16th Aug. 2024
“Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Thursday 15th August 2024 – LUKE 1:39-56.
So, even when an angel of God appeared physically to the Blessed Virgin Mary and gave her the privileged information of been chosen as the mother of God, she still never had any haughty airs about her.
Look here, she wasn’t told that she would bear a child who would become Chairman of a particular Council Area, or a state governor or the president of some country. No!
The angel Gabriel said without mincing words, that without mating, she will yet, conceive and give birth to a son who will be the ruler of the entire universe.
That son of hers would be the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega.
That Son would be called Immanuel – God is with us. That child is going to be the Son of God.
Yet, the Blessed Virgin Mary remained as humble as she was before she received such a revelation. Even an unborn baby that was inside the womb of her host perceived her aura.
Dear friend, do we ever think that if God had wanted to make her into some kind of a deity that once people see her they would cringe and fall prostrate in worship, He wouldn’t have done that?
If not, then, there must be something about humility with God.
We can go on and on in aeons about humility and God.
My dear friend, can’t we all see the power in humility?
Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of that model of humility, the day she was assumed into heaven body and soul.
Have a fantastic day folks.
#QUEEN_ASSUMED_INTO_HEAVEN! #Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
-Akase F. Agabo. 15th Aug. 2024.
